Fiber-cleaning machine.



PATENTED OCT. 22. 1907. c. G.SARGBNT. I FIBER CLEANING MAGHINB.

' APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1906- FIG. 1.

FIG. 2.

WITNESSES.

ATTORNEY-5 CHARLES G. SARGENT, OF GRANITEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIBER-CLEANING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed December 20, 1906- Serial No. 348,686.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. SARGENT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Graniteville, in the town of Westford, county of Middlesex,and State of Massachusetts, have invented a newand useful Fiber-Cleaning Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fiber cleaning machines, and particularly tothat style of machine which is used for removing burs and otherimpurities from wool, which style of machine is commonly termed a burpicker. This style of machine consists of a revolving main or pickingcylinder to which the stock is fed so that it will be combed out thereonto allow the heavier impurities to drop therefrom. The stock is takenfrom the picking cylinder by a bur-cylinder, usually rotating inopposition to the picking cylinder, and engaging the stock after itpasses onto the bur cylinder is a guard which usually is made in theform of a rapidly rotating cylinder having bars or floats, whichcylinder is set just to scrape the surface of the stock, and thereby toseparate and throw out any burs or other impurities. A11 air draft isarranged so that as this action takes place any fibers of stock whichmay be knocked off from the bur cylinder by the guard are sucked backonto the body of the stock in the machine, this current of air beingadjusted so as not to be strong enough to suck back onto the main bodyof the stock the burs or other impurities which are separated by theguard. The treated stock is then taken from the bur cylinder by a brush.

Attempts have been made to improve the quality and increase the quantityof work done on these machines by arranging the machines to have two burcylinders to take the stock from the picking cylinder so as to treat thestock at the two points where it thus leaves the main cylinder. Theseprior machines, however, have been disadvantageous in operation, becauseby their constructions the burs or impurities removed by one guard havenecessarily been thrown back into the stock and have not been removedtherefrom as they should be.

The object of this invention is to construct a machine so that thequality and quantity of work can be improved and increased, and so thatall the burs and other impurities removed therefrom at a plurality ofpoints shall-be separated from the stock in a practical and simple way.

The invention will be understood by referring to the accompanyingdrawing, in which D Figure 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating amachine constructed to embody my improvement, and Fig. 2 is adiagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of driving belts andgearing.

Referring to the drawing and in detail, 10 designates the pickingcylinder, consisting of a large drum having teeth or spurs on itsperiphery. This drum is journaled in a casing or frame 11. A screen 12is arranged in the casing above the picking cylinder 10. A suction fan13 is arranged on top of the casing, and is rotated by a belt 14. Thisfan is arranged to suck out and carry off all light impurities, dust,etc. liberated from the stock as it is being cleaned, and also toperform the function of keeping the stock from escaping with the burs.

The stock is fed to the picking cylinder by means of an apron 15 mountedon rollers 16 and 17 which direct the stock to feed rolls 18 and 19,which are provided with spur teeth to take the stock from the apron andpass the same to the picking cylinder 10. The feed rolls 18 and 19 aresometimes fluted instead of toothed.

The bottom of the casing or frame is made in the form of a box 20 havinga door 21, and a rack or series of bars 22 is arranged under the pickingcylinder, whereby as the stock is combed out and taken onto the pickingcylinder 10, all heavy dirt, etc. will drop down through the rack orscreen.

Cooperating with the picking cylinder is a bur cylinder 23 which I willhereafter speak of as the lower bur cylinder. This cylinder is arrangedto take part of the stock from the picking cylinder. This bur cylinderis rotated in opposition to the picking cylinder for this purpose.

A guard 24 preferably made in the form of a rapidly rotating cylinderhaving floats is arranged to beat or strike on the stock taken from thepicking cylinder by the lower bur cylinder 23. The casing is cut awayWhere the cylinder 23 and guard 24 are arranged, and a space 25 is leftbelow the guard 24, which space constitutes a bur-escape. A rotatingbrush 26 is arranged to take the stock from the lower bur cylinder 23and pass the same into a chute orstock-escape 27. An upper bur-cylinder28 is also arranged to take stock from the picking cylinder 10. A guard29 is arranged in connection therewith, and the casing is so arrangedthat a bur-escape 30 is provided under the cylinder 28 and guard 29,this bur escape being in the form of a trough in which the burs andimpurities removed by the guard 29 are thus deposited outside of themachine, and from which trough the burs and impurities may be removed bythe attendant or otherwise as desired. This bur escape 30 thus comesbetween the two bur cylinders 23 and 28.

Cooperating with the upper bur cylinder 28 is a rotary brush 3]. whichtakes the stock from the cylinder are geared together by gears 57 and58.

each bur escape 25 and 30, and by the adjustment above mentioned, theflow of air through the same is adjusted. As the air flows in throughthe bur escapes, it necessarily passes through the two layers of stockor fiber passing from the picking cylinder to the bur cylinders, andthus sucks back any stock fibers knocked off from the bur cylinders bythe guards, and at the same time, adjustment is made so that the burs orimpurities which have a heavier specific gravity than the fibers willdrop out through the bur-escapes.

By providing bur-escapes to direct the burs and impurities removed bythe plurality of guards outside of the machine, the quality of the workis improved, because the fibers are thoroughly opened out and dusted,and there is no possibility of any of the burs or imperfections beingremoved being thrown back into the machine, and the quantity of the workis increased because much more stock can be fed to the machine thanwhere a single bur cylinder is used, as each bur cylinder will take itsshare of stock.

The invention can be carried out by employing more than two burcylinders, and by providing a separate bur-escape in connection witheach one thereof.

One convenient way for driving the parts is shown in Fig. 2. A pulley 36is arranged on the shaft of the picking cylinder 10 and is driven bybelt 37. A pulley 38 is arranged on the shaft of the picking cylinder,and pulleys 39 and 40 are arranged 011 the shafts of the bur cylinders,and a belt 41 is trained around the three pulleys 38, 39 and 40 torotate the bur cylinders. Another pulley 42 is arranged on the shaft ofthe picking cylinder 10, preferably at the opposite side of the machine,and pulleys 43 and 44 are arranged on the shafts of the guard cylinders,whereby the guard cylinders will be rotated.

The rotary brushes 26 and 31 are provided with pulleys 45 and 46 whichare driven by cross belts 47 and 48. A small pulley 49 is arranged onthe shaft of the picking cylinder, and by belt 50 drives a pulley 51arranged on a stud, and which pulley 51 hasa pulley 52 turningtherewith, which, by means of belt 53 drives a pulley 54 on a stud. Bymeans of gears 55 and 56 the lower feed roll 18 is rotated, and the twofeed rolls The front roller 17 of the apron is provided with a gear 59which meshes with an intermediate 60, which latter meshes with the gear57 on the lower feed roll 18, whereby the apron is turned at the properspeed.

It is within the scope of the invention to use one large rotating brushto co-act with both bur cylinders 23 and 28 without interfering with theguards 24 and 29 and the two bur escapes 25 and 30, but the preferredarrangement is to use two rotary brushes as shown.

Other arrangements of gearing and belts may be provided for driving theapparatus.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a fiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder, aplurality of bur cylinders each independently taking stock from thepicking cylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder, each bur cylinder andguard being arranged to throw the burs clear of the stock, and means torreceiving the burs after the same have been thrown from the stock by theguards and preventing the same from passing back into the stock.

.2. In a fiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder,a plurality of bur cylinders each independently taking stock from thepicking cylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder, and an independent andseparate bur escape arranged in connection with each bur cylinder andguard.

I In a fiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder, aplurality of bur cylinders each independently taking stock from thepicking cylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder, an independent andseparate brush for each bur cylinder, and a bur escape arranged in connection with each bur cylinder and guard.

4. In a tiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder,two bur cylinders, each independently taking stock from the pickingcylinder, a guard 1'01 each bur cylinder, and two bur escapes, onearranged between the two bur cylinders, and the other outside of the twobur cylinders.

In a fiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder, twobur cylinders, each independently taking stock from the pickingcylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder, an independent and separatebrush for each bur cylinder, and a bur escape provided for each of thetwo bur cylinders and guards.

6. In a fiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder,two bur cylinders arranged one above the other, each independentlytaking stock from the picking cylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder,and 51 bur escape between the two bur cylinders and one below the burcylinders.

7. In a fiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder,two bur cylinders, each independently taking stock from the pickingcylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder, and a bur escape for each burcylinder, each escape being arranged to direct the burs outside of themachine.

S. In a fiber cleaning macliine, the combination of a picking cylinder,two bur cylinders, each independently taking stock from the pickingcylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder, a liber outlet for each burcylinder, and a bur escape for each bur cylinder, each escape arrangedto direct the burs outside of the machine.

9. In a tiber cleaning machine, the combination of a picking cylinder,two bur cylinders, each independently taking stock from the pickingcylinder, a guard for each bur cylinder, an independent and separatebrush for each bur cylinder, a suction fan, and an air inlet arranged inconnection with each bur cylinder and guard, and forming a bur escape todirect the burs removed by each guard outside of the machine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES G. SARGENT.

Witnesses:

OSBURN I'I. CILLEY, ll. A. NonnlNo'roN.

